Now in Flesh Appearing

Read John 1:1-14, John 10:10, Romans 5:17

Have you noticed lately how sensational headlines and titles to articles have become? Have you also noticed how difficult it is to read a news report or other article online these days?

The more sensational the headline and photo you see on your Facebook timeline, the more likely you are to click on it. This is called click bait. Once you arrive on the page, various messages greet you which you have to click out of. Some pages won’t allow you to continue until you turn off a pop-up blocker. Then many articles have multiple pages. The more clicks they get, the more revenue they can potentially generate.

And what does that news and information do for us? I will admit, some of these “life hacks” are cool to watch. But I will also admit that it is highly unlikely that I’m going to make my own beauty cream or turn a soda bottle into a barbecue grill. As for the news reports, most of them just serve to keep people riled up enough to feed their anger, but don’t provide any productive solutions.

John introduces a divine “Life Hack” in today’s passage. God broke His centuries long period of silence in a glorious way- by sending His Son Jesus, the Messiah. The very Word of God had become flesh.

One of the phrases that I love in this passage is this: “We beheld His glory…full of grace and truth.”

In the Old Testament, when God appeared to Abraham, when He came down to Mount Sinai to meet with Moses, the people had to turn their faces away- His glory was too much for them to behold. But in Jesus, God took on human flesh- just like us. In Jesus we can behold the glory of God, we can soak in His grace and truth.

There is an abundance that Jesus brings to my life that is unlike anything this world has to offer. My challenge to myself this season is to spend less time absorbing the mindlessness that surrounds me in the online world and more time absorbing all that Jesus has to offer me; to spend more time absorbing His presence, His glory, His grace, His truth.

(Don’t forget to comment the title of the Christmas Carol for an entry into a drawing for a gift card.)